When I had a house and marriage and family life I always set a big table with extra room for drop-ins. I always invited people over who I knew had no family nearby or who might be alone, or older couples without children. I also always invited all my neighbors to drop in and had an all-day open house, and whenever I did this the neighbors always dropped by. It was a great time with many happy memories. I did the decorations up big, and we had a model train set up with an Alpine village, mountains, and little skiers, and everyone liked to come by to see the train and scenery.

I have been finding myself alone for several years off and on at the holidays. This year I was alone and got really disturbed and I ended up calling a crises hotline on Christmas, and again on New Years. On Christmas I didn't even get out of bed.

Something has to be done. I cannot go through another holiday season like this. I am probably going to get proactive in the coming year and try to make more social connections. Usually if you start joining things and get involved you will find yourself with something to do or somewhere to go on the holidays.

I have always called the holidays the time of the "haves and have nots," and even when I had a nice situation and lovely holidays I still didn't like it as it seemed like a very cruel and brutal competitive season.

Maybe more should be written about it. Thank you for this thread.